Hans von Spakovsky, a Bush-era Civil Rights Division lawyer, apparently helped Florida Gov. Rick Scott in his attempts to purge the state’s voter list, according to a report in Talking Points Memo.
Emails show that von Spakovsky, who is connected to the controversial politicized hiring practices in the Civil Rights Division during the Bush years, and the Republican governor hoped to have von Spakovsky speak on a radio show as an expert on the state’s voting issue, according to the report.
The Justice Department has challenged Florida’s attempts at purging its voter rolls, alleging the practice has the potential to unfairly scrub legal voters from the rolls and is occurring too close to an election.
The former DOJ lawyer, who is now a senior fellow with the conservative Heritage Foundation, has been vocal about his support of Florida’s purge, saying in June that the department’s challenge “directly abets vote thieves in a key state as Holder’s boss seeks re-election.”
A Scott staff member emailed von Spakovsky to enlist his help as an election expert on radio and TV spots about the voter purge, according to the report.
A staff member told TPM that the former DOJ lawyer had no “formal role” in the press coverage. Von Spakovsky told TPM he had no comment.
